


Joyride

by GreyLiliy



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Flirting, Friendship, Holoform(s), M/M, Trapped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2014-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-22 16:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/915616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLiliy/pseuds/GreyLiliy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shots featuring Raoul and his main machine, Tracks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Joyride

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters 1-6 were Originally Written and posted between June 2006 and May 2013.

"Hey uh, Tracks." Raoul paused from packing up his tape deck and cardboard box to turn to the blue sports car that had pulled up from the alley. Pop-Lock and Rocksteady had already left for home with the day's take so he supposed he was free for whatever the Autobot wanted. Though he really hoped Tracks just wanted information. He was too tired to go chasing down idiot robots trying to destroy the city. "Something the matter?"

"No, actually. It's been rather quiet and peaceful lately." Tracks rolled up a little closer to the boy as he flung the radio over his shoulder, cardboard folded under his arm. The Autobot opened his door when he approached. "Care for a ride?" Tracks smiled inwardly when the boy responded by tossing his things in the back and hopped in.

"Not that I don't appreciate the ride, but what's the occasion?" Raoul crossed his arms over the steering wheel and stared out at the city. Come to think of it, had Tracks ever been to his apartment before? "And do you know where you're going?"

"Occasion? Just wanted to say hello and hang out for a bit if that's alright. So as far as where we're going, wherever you want really. I'm up for just about anything."

"You sure that's okay? Won't the other Autobots mind or something?"

"I finished with my patrols so I'm more than free to spend my time as I please."

"I see." Raoul nodded and yawned into his hand. A free ride was better than walking ten city blocks, that was for sure. "Well, I guess you could give me a lift to my place."

"Alright. If that's what you want."

Raoul scowled at the steering wheel. The disappointment was so obvious Raoul didn't need to have heard it in Track's voice. It's like the entire car had sunk an inch into the pavement. "Okay, seriously man. What's up with you?"

Tracks pulled into an alley silently and turned off his engine. "Is it wrong that I might just want to hang out with a friend for a little bit without being attacked by Decepticons?"

"Not really, ya' just have never come around before." Raoul slunk back in the seat and rubbed at his leather jacket. "Guy can wonder what's up right? I mean, it's not like I'm your only friend."

"Yes, that's true. But you are my only friend who appreciates this city." Tracks paused to try and think of the correct wording. Raoul wasn't his only friend, but he was the only human friend he truly enjoyed spending time with. Tracks wondered if there was a way to get that feeling across without sounding weird or clingy. The last thing he wanted was for Raoul to think that Tracks thought of him as some sort of pet. "Or enjoys getting a ride."

"Blaster doesn't like all the free rides? Now that I can't believe." Raoul chuckled and rubbed the steering wheel with a small pat.

"No, he does, but there's only so much of his free music that I can tolerate."

"I'd say I agree but I make my livin' off that music, you know." Raoul rubbed a hand down his face. He was exhausted after a full day of dancing and romancing the crowd, but somehow Tracks always put him in a good mood. "But I guess I could take a break for a little joyride. After all, what idiot turns down a ride in a fancy little number like you?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Tracks' engine roared to life again as he pulled free from the alley. "Any place in mind?"

"Not really man." Raoul looked in the back and put his arm up on the seat, hand resting on the passenger seat. "But can we drop my stuff off at home first? If we end up letting loose or something I'd rather not lose another blaster if I can help it. We barely paid off this new one and I don't think that your Blaster would appreciate filling in for another week."

"Of course, that's no problem." Tracks pulled from the alley and hummed along with the traffic. "Direct away."

The ride to Raoul's apartment went by well enough. Raoul got caught up on what the Autobots had been up to since they last saw each other, and Tracks was filled in on the exciting life of break dancing in the street. Needless to say, one set of stories should have been more interesting than the other, but Tracks seemed to comment and stay interested with every boring comment. Raoul couldn't help but enjoy the attention, though he couldn't escape the feeling that maybe it was Tracks reveling in the attention.

"This is it." Raoul pointed out the window towards a peeling building covered in graffiti. He felt Tracks slow down and pat the wheel. "Don't worry too much, I'll try to get in and out before you get jacked."

"I'm sure I can take care of myself for that long." Tracks revved his motor a bit as Raoul got out. He scanned the building and tried not to judge. But it really was a tacky mess. Keeping the slight disgust out of his voice should not have been so difficult. "So, this is where you live?"

"It isn't the greatest, but uh." Raoul paused and scratched his nose in an attempt to hide the embarrassment. "It's home."

"Well, we can't always choose where our home is."

"Guess not." Raoul nodded and headed inside the building searching his pockets for his room key. Tracks sat outside on the street quiet enough, but Raoul was frowning. The sports car said he just wanted to hang out, but what would make him hunt down Raoul? Was he really that lonely in a base full of sentient robots that he needed the company of some kid he's met maybe three to four times? Or did he actually just enjoy Raoul's company and missed it? Raoul sighed as he opened the door to his tiny one room pad and dropped the tape deck to the floor. He shoved it under his bed with a grunt and ran a hand through his hair. "Crazy robot's going to be the death of me."

It could have only been a minute, Tracks sighed to himself, but yet there they were circling him like hawks. Five punk kids all with dyed hair, tattoos and tools out at the ready to strip the car of all his parts. Tracks found himself disliking his alt mode for the first time since he'd reached this planet. Was the form he'd chosen really that attractive? Honestly, how else could you explain so many times getting singled out by car thieves. Tracks was one gorgeous piece of machinery, but there were limits.

Thankfully, he didn't have to resort to the frightening scary car routine as Raoul came to his rescue. Tracks almost smiled as the kid stomped towards the hoodlums. Any kid who could stare down a Decepticon with nothing more than a leather jacket and a lead pipe could take on a bunch of car thieves without blinking.

"What do you losers think you're doing to my car?" Raoul shouted as he skipped the last few steps on the porch on his building. Five minutes. He was gone for five minutes and them vultures were already surrounding Tracks. His neighborhood wasn't that lousy. This was ridiculous. "Step off."

"Or you'll do what?" The leader turned and snarled. "And don't even try and pretend this is your car. Nobody who lives in there can afford a car this nice. You're just upset we're jacking something you stole yourself. Should have known better than to leave these things unattended."

Raoul scowled when the guy pat Tracks' roof roughly. He probably left grimy, greasy fingerprints all over the nice blue finish. "Last chance. Back off and get away from my car."

"Again, what exactly are you going to-" The leader choked on his words as the driver side door swung open and slammed him into the pavement.

"Raoul! Get in." Tracks shouted and revved his engine."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Raoul smiled and raced towards the open door. He was barely in before the car sprung forwards like a spring released and gave a whoop as the confused thieves scratched their heads from the pavement. "Though I totally could have taken them."

"I know, yours truly could have done it easily as well." Tracks made a sharp turn and headed towards a more populated area of the city where he could blend into traffic better and stop drawing so much attention. "But I was hoping for a conflict free night if you don't mind."

"Nah, running away isn't always the cowardly thing." Raoul chuckled and relaxed into Tracks' oh so buttery leather seats. "In fact, sometimes running can be kinda fun." Raoul put his hands on the wheel and gave it a pat. "How about you and me go somewhere and really run that engine of yours dry?"

"I think that would be a rather exhilarating experience. Have any place in mind where we can, cut loose so to speak?"

"Yeah, I got a few places in mind and we got all night, right?"

"Full tank of gas and no assignments to tomorrow. So Roger that, Raoul."

"Roger that? You're a total dweeb, you know that Tracks?"

"And you're a border line punk but that doesn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying your company."

"Well, like-wise my man." Raoul grinned as the traffic started to thin and the speedometer needle started moving oh so slowly to the right. "Or should I say my main machine?"

"Now who's being the dweeb?"

"Ah shut it ya' overgrown coup." Raoul looked up to see them start dodging traffic as they raced to the city limits. "Let's just get out there and let loose already before I start to change my mind and decide going to bed is more appealing than racing in a gorgeous machine such as yourself."

"Again with the flattery, Raoul? I'm starting to blush."

"Ah shut it and drive."

"As you wish."


	2. Run Around

"Ya' know, Tracks. There are some days where it just doesn't pay to be your friend." Raoul muttered as he sulked in Tracks hand with his head covered as bits of debris fell off the wall they were using for cover. Pick up some car parts at an outlet mall in Jersey. This was supposed to be relaxing day. But no. Just didn't work out that way. "I'm starting to notice a trend."

"Quiet, Raoul." Tracks hushed as he held the highly breakable human as close to his chest as he could, mindful of Raoul's limbs close to his own joints. "You can complain about the consequences of being friends with a giant alien robot later." A laser blast sliced through his red wing through a newly opened hole in their defense. Well there went the flying away option. "You know, when we're not being shot at."

"I wouldn't give me permission for that." Raoul winced when a bit of skin got pinched in one of Tracks' finger joints. But it was hardly anything compared to what Tracks was going through. An outlet store wall did not a good cover make against laser fire. "I might take you up on it."

"Ha ha." The Corvette fired back with his own pistol and cursed lowly when he missed. He really should take the time to switch hands so he could get a better shot, but he was almost scared to put Raoul down with all the fire. Were there really only two of them over there!? "I really wish they would stop moving."

"Then they'd get shot which would be against the point." Raoul caught a glimpse of the black and white 'cons that had them cornered behind a shopping center wall. They looked like twins and both had glowing red visors. "Who are those two anyway?"

"Runamuck and Runabout otherwise known as the Battlechargers." Tracks sounded particularly sulky. Dealing with these two contact happy losers was not how Tracks wanted to spend his day off. Couldn't Megatron have the decency to keep his men on a leash on  _their_  days off!? This wasn't even an energy raid for Primus' sake! "To put it simply, imagine if Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were Decepticons and you'd have those two."

Raoul tried to picture the twins as Decepticons and winced. He hoped Tracks was exaggerating. "You're not filling me with hope there, buddy."

"Just be happy they're still shooting at us and not trying to crash into us." Raoul grumbled and tried to fire again. He managed to scorch Runamuck's white frame but not much else. He tried to fire again and hissed when he heard an empty click come from his weapon. Out of ammunition; just what Tracks needed today. "Their favorite method of attack is hand-to-hand brawling and I don't particularly feel like ruining my frame today."

A rather large piece of the wall fell and Tracks had to scramble back a bit to stay hidden from fire. "Can't you call for backup or something?" Raoul yelped when Tracks' hand dropped to the ground suddenly and he found himself in the dirt. "Ouch."

"Sorry Raoul. It seems I spoke too soon." Tracks muttered as he watched the two cons transform. They clearly had realized that Tracks was down to hand-to-hand defense. He tried to ignore how excited they appeared. "This might turn into a demolition derby rather quickly." He paused to take a look at his friend before looking at the road. Tracks couldn't allow Raoul to get caught up in their fist fight. The 'cons would definitely go after Tracks if he started a 'race' towards the open fields, making a run for it. Raoul should have ample time to get into the store and call Autobot Headquarters. "Raoul, my comm. is down. When I say so, I need you to get into the store and call for help."

"And you will be doing, what?" Raoul had a bad feeling about what Tracks was planning.

"Me? I'll be driving." Tracks smiled a little. "That should be obvious, Raoul."

"No way am I letting you handle those two by yourself." Raoul chanced a look around the corner and saw the engines revving of the black and white sports cars. Those 'cons were giving the term 'Muscle Car' a whole new definition. They were talking to each other at the moment so it seemed so they knew Tracks only had one place to go. "I'm coming with you."

"I'm not transforming until you are in that store and I will never outrun them on two legs." Tracks pushed Raoul towards the door with his hand the way a parent urges their child to say hello on their first day of daycare. "You don't want me to get run over do you? Now go."

"Tracks, you can't be serious." Raoul hissed and smacked Tracks in the leg, mindful of a scratch already imbedded in his finish. "I can handle myself. This isn't the first time I've fought Decepticons!"

"Yes you can, Raoul, which is why you need to go call for backup and have a little faith that I can handle myself." Tracks tensed for a quick transformation. Runamuck and Runabout seemed to be finished with their little chat and get things on the road. Tracks left very little in his discussion in his voice as he ordered his friend to get out of the line of sight. "Raoul. Move, now."

"We're still talking about this later!" Raoul pointed a finger at his friend and made a dash for the store back entrance. He heard his friend transform and gun the engine. Two other loud roars followed in the air and Raoul did his best not to turn around and watch them race off. "Gotta' trust that idiot to know what he's doing." Raoul muttered to himself.

Raoul nearly skidded to a halt when he realized how silent it got so quickly. They couldn't have raced that far away already, could they? The human'd have no idea where to send help. Raoul cursed and moved faster in the direction of a phone and dialed the number to Teletran 1 Tracks had forced him to memorize. He listened for the connecting noise and waited for that stupid computer to answer. "Pick up, pick up, pick up."

* * *

"Come on pretty boy! Slow down and play with us!" Runamuck chuckled as he pulled up beside the blue corvette. Him and his brother had been driving around looking for a little fun, a human cop to torment or some dragsters to outrace for example. But they got lucky and instead found an Autobot hanging around by himself in the middle of some human outlet mall. And it was one of the race cars! What could be better than that? "We'll wrestle! It'll be fun."

"No thank-you, gentlemen!" Tracks sped up just a bit faster to try and stay ahead of the white sports car, very aware of the black one to his other side. It seems they really were just out looking for fun. It was a shame their definition of 'fun' didn't quite match up with normal 'bots. "I'm a bit busy today you see."

"Make time." Runabout made a sharp right and crushed his side up against that shiny blue paint and loved the shriek of metal that echoed around them. "See what fun that is?"

"All I see is a ruined paint job!" Tracks slammed the breaks to let the other two cars dash out in front of him. Knowing Raoul was safe back at the store meant there was no shame in doubling back and trying to loose them.

Sadly, it was not to be.

The two had spun around almost as quickly as he had braked and were back, only this time one to his front and one to his back. Tracks wondered where that burst of speed had come from; he had hardly seen them move! What did it take to loose these two? "Now, now. Let's not become barbarians."

"Oh get over yourself." Runamuck snickered and made a dive for Tracks' bumper. The Corvette made a quick dodge to the front and nearly smacked into his brother. Runabout turned and managed to smack the Tracks' front side again. "Your finish is already roughed up so the least you can do is have some fun!"

"I would hardly call rolling around and scuffling fun." Tracks snarled and backed up as quickly as possible to the side, his tires kicking up dirt.

"And I'd hardly call what we want to do ta' you rollin' around." Runabout snickered.

"Or a 'scuffle.'" Runamuck added as he transformed and made a grab for the bumper. He laughed in success as he got a good grip and yanked back on the car. If he was lucky Tracks would transform and then things would really get interesting. "More like a total beat down."

Runabout transformed as well and went for the front tires. He was rewarded with the familiar sound of moving joints as Tracks shifted forms and kicked out to try and free himself. It worked for the moment and his brother was forced to let go. Now things could really get started. "And ya' finally came out to play."

"Oh go jump in a pit." Tracks snarled as he backed up. He was out of ammunition. He couldn't fly and apparently the Battlechargers were extra motivated today because Tracks couldn't seem to out drive them today either. He would never hear the end of this when he got back to the Autobot base. "So are you going to bring it or are we going to have a tea party?"

"You heard 'em, Bro." Runamuck snickered as charged forward and tackled Tracks around the waist pulling them both to the ground. The corvette grunted before returning a punch of his own. "Come on little Autobot, ya' gotta hit harder than that."

When the second 'con came around his back and yanked him up by his uninjured wing, Tracks knew he was having a really bad day.

* * *

Little did he know, Raoul was having a rather bad day himself.

"What took you guys so long? Who knows what those two psychos have been doing to Tracks!" Raoul hissed at the two Autobots standing in front of him. The twins had gone on ahead following the tread marks in the dirt while Prowl and Bluestreak stayed behind to check up with Raoul.

"Do not worry, Raoul. I'm sure Tracks is just fine and the twins are on their way now. They'll catch up in no time." Prowl tried to comfort the angry human. It was to be expected considering how close he and Tracks were to one another. Prowl transformed into his familiar police form and opened a door. "Come on, we'll go catch up."

"He better be alright." Raoul threatened. Well, as much as a human could threaten a robot over three times his size. But it was the thought that counted. "I'm gonna' give him a beating myself if he's not."

"That doesn't seem to make sense, Raoul. Why would you wish further injury to Tracks?"

"It's a figure of speech, Prowl."

"I am aware. It was an attempt at a joke." Prowl sighed. "I seem to have failed."

"It's okay Prowl! I got your joke."

"Thank-you, Bluestreak."

"Okay, okay. Enough from you two. Let's just concentrate on getting to Tracks, alright?" Raoul snorted and crossed his arms. He knew it wasn't cool to get all worried, but his friend wasn't in all that great of shape when he raced off and those two 'cons looked pretty rough themselves. It was almost pathetic what a mother hen he was turning into, but what could you expect when your best friend was always getting himself into trouble? "Can't you move any faster?"

Prowl did his best to speed up, Bluestreak following behind, to suit Raoul's request but he had a feeling he could go twice the speed and not give the boy peace of mind. Thankfully, by the time they caught up with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, the Decepticons were long gone. Prowl pulled up next to Tracks who was himself sitting in the dirt breathing heavily. Raoul barely took the time to open the door as he got out.

"Hello Raoul, I see you managed to call for help."

"Tracks you idiot! What were you thinking going off all by yourself?"

"I was thinking that I'd be fine if you called for help and I was correct." Tracks chuckled as his human friend scowled at him. "So stop making that face. I'm fine."

"Yeah, those two morons ditched as soon as we arrived." Sideswipe laughed. As soon as he and his brother showed up, the Battlechargers dumped Tracks where he was and fled cackling all the while. "There's no fun in fighting unfair numbers for those two."

"Unless they're the ones ganging up." Sunstreaker added with a snarl. "Cowards."

"Whatever." Raoul rolled his eyes and looked at Tracks again. Both of his wings were ripped off and there were streaks of black and white all over his frame. Combined with dents that Raoul knew weren't there before, he wondered just what happened to his friend in the time it took to get to him. "You ever do that again and I'm disconnecting your motor."

"I look forward to it." Tracks chuckled, ignoring the pain in his chest. A little beating from two over charged muscle heads was a small price to pay as long as he knew Raoul was alright. He shuddered to think how this would have gone if Raoul had been inside of him during that car chase. "But for now, I think I just want a long recharge."

"Yeah," Raoul nodded and rubbed Tracks' hand. "I'm serious about disconnecting your motor, though. I know your insides better than you do."

"I'm so frightened."

"You better be."

Prowl and the others chuckled to themselves during the familiar banter. It was nice to know the day could at least have a pleasant ending.


	3. Down and Dirty

"No."

"Come now, Raoul. It's a simple request."

"Nuh uh, no way, not a chance my friend."

"It's no different than-"

"It's completely different!"

"I don't see how."

"We're friends man! That would be seriously creepy!"

"Oh for goodness sake, Raoul. You're acting like I was asking you to do something obscene. And for the record I'm asking  _because_  we are friends. I trust you to take this seriously."

"Last time I checked if I offered to do that for any of my friends they'd deck me."

"I think you may have forgotten I'm not like your other friends."

"Don't cut yourself short." Raoul waved a finger towards the red face above him with a slight smirk. "You're exactly like them, which is why this is awkward and I'm not doing it!"

Tracks huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Raoul was blowing this way out of proportion. "Stop being stubborn."

A sigh followed and Raoul held his head. Of all the things Tracks had asked, this one topped the cake. Really, the boy shouldn't have been surprised all things considered. After all, technically Raoul did this for well…non sentient versions all the time. "Can't you find one of your friends to do it since it's apparently so 'normal' for you guys?"

"They'd never let me live it down." Tracks dropped his arms to his side with a sigh. This wasn't supposed to be embarrassing with Raoul; little brat wasn't even supposed to question the request! "I need help reaching my back, Raoul."

"Yeah, but why now?" Raoul could feel the frustration leaking into his voice. "You've never asked before."

"The jets in the wash rack were never malfunctioning before." Tracks muttered, near mortified. "The pressure usually made up for the inability to scrub and reach places under the plating."

"Just stop already!" Raoul covered his face and could feel it turning red. "Enough with the scrubbing and reaching talk. You're only making it worse!"

"For Primus' sake Raoul, what is the issue? You've never had a problem working on my engine or doing body work. You helped Ratchet out last week in fact pounding out a couple dents. What on earth about a car wash has you so freaked out?" Tracks huffed. "You're under my hood all the time!"

"Yeah! But it's different!"

"How?" Tracks waved a hand. "I need specifics Raoul, because frankly I don't understand." Raoul muttered something and covered his eyes, face turning a shade that nearly matched Tracks' own. "What was that?"

"You don't moan when I work on your engine!" Raoul blurted out before groaning and sitting on his heels. These are not conversations you had with your buds. "There. Happy? I said it."

"I." Tracks paused. "Moan? How would you even know that? You've never given me a car wash before…"

"Don't have to have done it before." Raoul's entire head was covered by his arms, face hot and flushed. "Few months ago I was workin' on your engine and noticed a scuff on your hood when I closed it." Raoul swallowed and could feel Tracks staring down at him through his arms. "So, I took a rag and rubbed at it and you made this…" Raoul tried to think of the correct word. "Noise. It was like a cross between an 'oohhh' and a moan and I know what is sounded like and it was not cool!"

Tracks chuckled. "I remember that. If I recall you jumped about a foot in the air, tripped on your wash bucket and ended up covered in suds on the ground." Tracks hummed as he remembered the rest of the event. "And then I teased you and you got mad and refused to finish buffing." Something clicked and Tracks furrowed his brow. "You jumped because you were embarrassed? I thought you were just startled by the fact I said something out of the blue after being quiet for a few hours."

"Nah, man." Raoul rubbed his face. Tracks being quiet while he worked and suddenly saying something out of nowhere? That, Raoul was used to. Guy did it all the time. Hearing Tracks make noises like… _that_  – not so much. "I'm used to that. It was…just. Dammit."

Tracks stared at the miserable little figure on the ground before sitting down himself to put himself more at eye level. The Autobot was confused at best as to why his friend was freaking out. "Let me see if I understand, you're embarrassed because you made me feel good?"

"Stop saying things like that!" Raoul was so glad they were the only two around in the mechanics' shop that day. "It's totally weirdin' me out."

"Why?" Tracks searched his head for a rough human equivalent to try and figure out just what had Raoul so embarrassed. "It's basically like giving me a massage. Don't humans do that all the time?"

"I'm not a masseuse and that's not what it sounded like at the time." Raoul huffed and dared a look at his friend. Who, surprisingly enough looked genuinely confused. Raoul hoped he wouldn't have to describe what it really sounded like. "Look, are you sure one of your other friends can't help? Somebody bigger?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Tracks poked Raoul in the back. "I don't know if you noticed but I'm not exactly everyone's favorite mech and the only one who even remotely understands my obsession with being clean is Sunstreaker." Raoul winced appropriately. "So until the wash racks are fixed, I need help and you're the only one I can ask."

"You could just, stay dirty?" Raoul offered hopefully.

Tracks glared.

"What about an automatic car wash?"

"Too abrasive." Tracks winced remembering the one time he tried. "Those things  _hurt,_  Raoul. It gets all up in my undercarriage and-"

"You're doing it again!" Raoul covered his ears. "Just, please let it go already!"

"Does this really bother you that much?" Tracks felt impulsive and grabbed the back of Raoul's shirt to lift him up and drop him in his other hand. Raoul made a tiny yelp before settling into the palm and glaring at him. "Yes, yes. Say something before you do that, but come now, Raoul. You wash cars all the time so there's no reason to turn me down. Pretend I'm a regular car if it makes you feel better."

"But you're not!" Raoul threw his arms up. "You're a person! I'd be essentially washing a person! Specifically, I'd be rubbing down a person! A person who I just know is gonna' make noises like I'm getting him off!"

"Getting…him off?" Tracks repeated and scrunched his face. The term sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before. Whatever it was, Raoul was turning a shade of red that would make Sideswipe jealous. "What are you talking about?"

Raoul rubbed his temple in slow, small circles. This morning he was looking forward to a quick visit from his favorite Autobot before working on some cars for some spare cash. If he knew this subject was going to come up he would have just stayed in bed. "Please don't make me explain it."

"You're going to have to." Tracks leant back against the garage wall and lifted his hands up a little higher. "Or I'm not putting you down."

"Uh, feeling you up?" Raoul tried to will his skin to stop flushing already. "In an overly, uh, friendly manner?"

"You've lost me, Raoul."

The human's hands ended up back in his hair and he sighed. "I'm starting to think you guys don't even have the equivalent of this  _thing_  and I'm freaking out over nothing."

"Well of course you're freaking out over nothing, Raoul, but what exactly do you think we do not have the equivalent of?"

Tracks was using that tone of voice again. The one where he got all snooty and Raoul had the urge to punch him. So Raoul decided to be vague again; wasn't his fault Tracks didn't update himself on slang. "You know, getting turned on?"

Tracks stared. "Raoul, I'm always turned on."

He couldn't help it. Raoul tried to hold it in but he failed. Tracks answering in that deadpan monotone he reserved for any occasion where he wanted someone to know they were an idiot for speaking just pushed him over the edge. Almost literally considering Raoul nearly fell out of Tracks hand he was laughing so hard. "You're killin' me, man!"

Tracks wondered briefly if he should be worried for the guffawing youngster clinging to his fingers in an effort to not be dropped. Sadly all he could feel was annoyance. "This can't possibly be that funny, Raoul. All I want is to be clean, is that so much to ask?"

"It is if you keep talkin' dirty!" Raoul burst out through a new set of laughter. Tracks started to narrow his eyes and Raoul took in deep breaths to calm himself down before shaking his head. "You seriously have no idea what I'm talking about? Even after all this time on Earth?"

"Raoul! Just tell me already!" Tracks huffed.

"Sex."

Tracks paused and stared at the boy in his hand with a frown. Suddenly all his euphemisms were put into place. Tracks  _knew_  he had heard those phrases come out of Raoul's mouth before. "Raoul, what on earth does washing a car have to do with your species' procreation habits?"

Raoul just shook his head and covered his face. "The moaning noises," the teen took a breath, "they sounded like the sounds people make when you uh, make um' feel good. Doin' that kinda' think to your guy pal is just weird, man. Even if it's just giving you a regular old car wash, I won't be able to get it out of my head. We're talking traumatized for life here, dude."

"Raoul."

"Yeah, man?"

"I am dirty." Tracks paused for Raoul to gulp under his glare. "Filthy, really, with dirt coating the inside of my seams and the wings on my back. I can not reach and you are going to get over this ridiculous embarrassment and take that sponge and rub me down until I'm clean no matter what noises escape my vocalizer or so help me, Raoul." Tracks of course left the threat up to Raoul's imagination.

"Uh, when you put it that way..." The human chuckled to himself as Raoul and Tracks' faces met, merely a foot between them. Sometimes he regretted being friends with the spoiled brat of the 'bots. "It's just a car wash, after all."

"Thank-you, Raoul." Tracks smiled all traces of his previous malice erased as he set the man down on the ground with a chuckle. "I'm glad you're finally seeing things my way."

Raoul trudged over to the hose and started to fill a bucket with sudsy water. This was seriously topping the chart for 'Favors Tracks Owes Raoul.' Rag and bucket in hand he headed back to a patiently waiting Tracks, who had turned so his back was facing Raoul. Well, at least he wasn't lying about the thin layer of dirt still stubbornly clinging to metal. Raoul could even tell where Tracks attempted to clean the spots himself. Raoul whistled. "Well, now I know why you asked for help."

"Of course, besides." Tracks shrugged and acquired a smirk suddenly on his face. Might as well have a little fun at Raoul's expense for all the wasted time whining he had done. He tried to make his voice sound coy as he continued. "It's really no fun doing it by yourself, anyway."

"Uh huh," Raoul answered automatically as he wrung out a sponge. He chuckled to himself as he started to wipe and scrub away the dirt with the suds dripping down to the ground. He really did make a scene earlier, didn't he? Tracks wasn't kidding, it was just like washing any other car.

"Oh, oh,  _oohhnnnmm,_ that's the spot Raoul." Tracks moaned and shivered his frame. "You really know how to get me all hot and bothered, Raoul."

Then again, other cars didn't talk back.

Tracks laughed when a soap covered sponge flew at his face; he swatted it lightly with his arm so it when right back at the boy. "Come now, Raoul. You know I only get down and dirty for you."

"That's it!" Raoul shouted, face flushed with anger for once instead of embarrassment complimented with a stomp to the floor. "You just lost your car wash, buddy. I hope the Automatic Car Wash treat's ya' right."

"Raoul?" Tracks gasped as the boy started to stomp out of the garage towards the office entrance. It was a joke. The boy couldn't leave. Tracks was still dirty! "Raoul! Come now! It was all in good fun! Get back here!"

"Screw you, Tracks!"

"I think you're a little small for that, darling."

Raoul's aggravated screech echoed out into the street.


	4. Class (Part 1 of 2)

Raoul had the distinct impression he should shut the door now before he regretted it.

The young mechanic had tumbled out of bed to incessant knocking at his front door at the ungodly hour of seven o'clock in the morning. That didn't stop for at least a minute. When the door bell rang afterwards, Raoul had managed a short tempered 'I'm coming!' before throwing on a shirt from the floor and stumbling to the door rubbing sleep from his eyes. He opened it and stared at the total stranger who dared to wake him.

"It's about time. I've been waiting for at least five minutes."

Raoul frowned instantly at the snobby voice. There was something familiar about it, but the boy was too distracted by the urge to punch the guy in the face. Standing there in khakis, a pastel yellow button down collar shirt and one of those preppy white sweaters tied around his shoulder like some tennis snob, was a tan brunette in sunglasses. The man was standing with his shoulders back and his arms crossed, posed like something straight out of a clothing catalog. Raoul looked down the apartment hallway and the chipped paint and wondered what the heck this guy was doing here. "Can I, help you?"

The man merely scoffed and pushed his way forward past the now staring home owner straight into the apartment. He walked around the room taking in the sights from the towel left hanging over the couch to the dust on the counters. "Goodness, Raoul. I know you can't exactly afford a penthouse on your salary but couldn't you at least manage to keep clean what you've got?"

"Excuse me?" Raoul bristled. Who the hell did this guy think he was waltzing in here like he owned the place just to insult him!? Raoul paused for a moment as confusion snuck up on the anger. "And how do you know my name?"

The stranger paused and turned deftly on his heels before gracefully reaching up and pulling down his glasses. Raoul was greeted by a pair of blue jay eyes that'd give a few Autobots a run for their money. He smirked and bit the earpiece of his sunglasses, a sophisticated accent spilling from his mouth. "Come now, Raoul. I thought we'd reached a point in our friendship where teasing was a requirement."

"Friendship?" Raoul scratched at his loose hair. Maybe money did make people go crazy. "Look man, I've never met you before in my life."

The man with the tennis sweater frowned (though it was more of a pout) and tilted his head slightly studying Raoul. "You really don't recognize me?"

Raoul slowly shook his head with a very confused look. The mechanic was pretty sure he'd never seen anyone like this guy even remotely near downtown by himself, let alone in the shop or something. "Nah, pretty sure we've never met."

"Think a little harder, Raoul." The stranger's lips quirked into a tiny smile. Poor boy was so confused and to think the voice wasn't a tip-off. He supposed it wasn't as memorable as he had hoped. "You've only got one friend who has a sense of class and can manage to look this good no matter what  _form_  he's in."

Raoul squinted a bit at the emphasized word 'form' and the man standing before him with eyes that were almost laughing at him now. This guy definitely knew something that Raoul didn't and there was something horribly familiar about this man and his actions. At the very least he was convinced that Raoul knew him but the only stuck-up, vain snob that Raoul made the exception to hang out with was- Raoul's jaw dropped. "Tracks?"

"Mind like a steel trap strikes again." Tracks chuckled as Raoul shut the door to his apartment. He was now openly gaping like a fish and the Autobot decided to give the boy a break. "Like it?" Tracks did a spin in the living room to give Raoul a 360 degree view. "Took me hours to pick something suitable."

"Man, oh man." Raoul stuttered and walked over to the grinning man…who was a foot and some taller. Raoul frowned as he stared up into the definitely laughing eyes. Figured the Autobot would still want to be a head up on him. Though, up close it was getting harder and harder to believe this was Tracks; Raoul could even see the pores in the guy's skin. "How the hell are you doing this?"

Tracks laughed when Raoul reached out to touch him and laughed harder when the boy jumped a foot back when his hand went straight through the Autobot's 'human' chest. "Should have let me answer before you touched."

"A hologram?" The boy muttered and dared to touch the arm again and frowned when this time it hit something solid. "Huh?"

"Holomatter, actually." Tracks grinned and let Raoul's hand phase through the arm when he tried touching again. "I can be solid if I choose, but it takes a great deal of concentration and energy."

"And you wasted all that energy banging on my door I take it?" Raoul snorted and pulled his hand back. It was tingling from the sensation of whatever this holomatter stuff was made from.

"It's not my fault you weren't awake." Tracks chuckled and let his eyes trail across the room. It was nice to be able to see things from Raoul's perspective so close to the ground. The apartment appeared to be modest with posters on the walls of different cars and street performers. Television in the corner and a small galley kitchen with dirty dishes stacked in the sink lined the walls. "You do know I was joking earlier about your home, don't you, Raoul?"

"Sure ya' were," Raoul licked his teeth and headed over to his room to grab a hair band to get the mop of hair off his shoulders. "I know it's not much."

"Its' fine considering you're by yourself, I'd think." Tracks shrugged and walked around, hand in his pocket to look closer at a side table. He smiled at a picture of him, Blaster, Raoul and his little Bop-Crew performing outside a nightclub. Those were fun times, if unstable. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know that." Raoul called out from the other room and rummaged around for some real clothes. Different species or not, hanging out in his boxers around a fully 'dressed' Tracks was a tad much.

"Oh, now that is cute, Raoul."

The smug tone in the voice was enough to make the real human freeze in his tracks (ha ha). Raoul looked slowly up at the wall above his bed which also happened to be in the direct line of sight from the door of his bedroom. The brunette let his head fall against the bed and he sighed. Tracks was  _never_  going to let him live this down. And considering Tracks was going to outlive him by a few million years that was fact. He wondered if his Autobot friend had mercy in him and would let it be.

"I do believe that's me." The haughty tone lacing the 'bot's voice was thicker than molasses on pancakes.

Naturally, since it was Tracks, Raoul would not be receiving a break today. He growled a bit and refused to look at the image tacked up above his bed. His reply sounded weak even to him. "It's not  _you_."

"Sure it is." Tracks smirked before walked right up behind the flustered boy on the floor. It was so nice to be loved. "It's definitely my alt mode down to the right color and model. All it's missing are my decals, but I'm not surprised you couldn't find a poster that was perfect." Tracks dared the energy to flick Raoul in the back of the head. "I'm flattered."

The poster had been a spontaneous purchase on Raoul's part. An embarrassing spontaneous purchase he had agonized over the moment he saw the thing in the store. How often did you run across a poster of a Stingray Corvette in just the right color of blue? After passing it at least five times in the store, Raoul just caved and bought the damn thing plastering it up in his room on the wall with the windows so Tracks couldn't see if should he peer in from the outside. It was supposed to be a secret. Damn holomatter. In an attempt to regain his dignity before Tracks got too full of himself, Raoul changed the subject. "So, what's with the holo-thingie again?"

Tracks took a seat on the bed and crossed his legs over the knee in a pose he saw in the catalog he chose this human form from. "Cars without drivers attract far too much attention."

"I thought you ran on attention?" Raoul smirked and pulled the over shirt he had located before on his shoulders. "Don't you shrivel up or something without it?"

"And that's why my alternate mode is just as attractive as my robot mode." Tracks smiled softly when Raoul plopped down next to him on the bed. Without the upgrade he'd never be able to sit side by side like this in robot mode. Sometimes it really was the little things that mattered. "The entire base got the upgrade over the past week so don't be surprised if you get to meet more 'bots face to face in the future."

"Speaking of that, how does this holomatter thing work?" Raoul fell back against the bed and looked hard at Tracks to see any hint that what he was looking at wasn't really there. There, Raoul caught a tiny image flicker near his legs where Tracks was 'sitting' on the bed. It was quick though; the ex-thief had to admit the disguise was good. "I mean, what's the rest of you doing if you're here?"

"I'm parked across the street in the parking garage people watching. There's been a set of little girls playing hopscotch since I got to your apartment." Raoul was staring again now as Tracks pulled down the blinds to look at himself sitting neatly across the way. "There are benefits to being a robot, Raoul."

"Two places at one time and keepin' track of it. Gotcha." The boy nodded before rubbing a hand over his face. Talk about serious multi-tasking. "Freaky, man. I can't even picture that."

"If it makes you feel better the things happening around me physically while I'm using this form are sort of like background noise. Most of my attention is on you and keeping the holomatter active. The farther the holomatter is from myself the more concentration it takes." Tracks hummed for a moment. "But in this form the perspective is much the same as yours, I'd imagine. It's difficult to convey just what it feels like considering how different our species are when you get down to it."

"How long can you stay like that?" Raul sat up to look him in the eye. The eyes were emotive making Raoul wonder just how connected these holomatter forms were to the transformer running it. How many of those emotions flickering across them were real or just an interpretation? "I thought you said it took a lot of effort?"

"If I were just projecting a driver inside of myself, I could keep it running indefinitely." Tracks looked up for a moment and his eyes glossed over. A second later he was facing Raoul. "At this distance, I've got maybe another five or six hours before it heats up enough to require a shut down for a break." Tracks shrugged. "That time resets of course the moment I turn it off or get back inside the vehicle."

"Huh." Raoul nodded and sat awkwardly for a minute. Now that everything was explained, Raoul wasn't quite sure what to do with the Autobot in his bedroom. He really hadn't been expecting Tracks to pop in today, as the car or the human. "Now what?"

Tracks looked over and his eyebrows scrunched together. "I thought we were going to that car show this morning? The one with the new Corvette models?" Tracks laughed at Raoul's blank expression. "You forgot?  _You're_  the one who invited me."

"No, that's." Raoul frowned remembering that he had indeed invited Tracks to come see the car show. But that wasn't today, was it? "That's not until Saturday."

"Raoul, it is Saturday."

"For real, man?"

"For real." Tracks stood up from the bed and put his hands on his hips. "Get dressed already, I want to show off my gorgeous alt mode in the parking lot before we start looking around."

"I'm pretty sure an Autobot is going to be showing off the entire time he's there just by being an Autobot." Raoul laughed and dug around for his pants.

"Don't be absurd." Tracks smirked. "I've got this new form for blending in and I'm going to use it. Not going to transform into robot mode even once." He leant down into Raoul's face and poked at the boy's chest. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your trap shut about it. I want at least one day hanging out with you where I'm not being gawked at."

So Tracks wanted to spend some quality time without the on-lookers for a change. That wasn't so bad, and Raoul could understand the desire for a little privacy. Just him and Tracks hanging out together…Raoul sprung up from his seat and threw his hands out in front of him. "Woah, woah. You are going to walk around a car show with me," He paused and took in Tracks' outfit one more time and realized just how dressed up he was – like date nice dressed up. "Looking like  _that._ "

"Is there a problem? I happen to think I look rather fabulous at the moment." Tracks brushed his human hair back and placed his sunglasses back on.

"That's what I'm scared of." Raoul smacked his face and groaned to himself. Tracks was either doing this on purpose or really had no clue. Strange how being a giant robot always seem to negate that Tracks was, well, Tracks.

"Grow up, Raoul." The Autobot rolled his eyes as Raoul turned red. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what the boy was picturing in his head. It's not like Tracks was going to walk around holding his hand and skipping. "I'm not changing it and that's final. Hurry up or I'm leaving you here." Tracks gave a royal wave and smiled. "Meet you at the building entrance."

Raoul jerked when the man flickered out of existence followed by a rather loud engine revving from outside. He pulled up the blinds to see Tracks' human form sitting in his driver's seat waving with his fingers before pulling out of the spot to go down the ramp to his apartment. Raoul let the blinds drop with a clatter and reserved himself with an afternoon running around with the most effeminate man he knew who would probably stick to his side like glue.

Raoul wondered if he could convince Tracks to look up a little number from a certain swimsuit edition for their next outing.


	5. Class (Part 2 of 2)

Raoul was used to having Tracks drive himself, but this was a little more than freaky. The younger boy shifted in his seat as his eyes drifted to the side to study the hologram in the driver's seat. Tracks' human disguise was doing everything, well, normal- Just like any other human if they were in the seat. He was using the gas, the breaks, shifting the gear (foot on the clutch and everything!), and turning the wheel like the car wasn't driving on its lonesome. Hell, Tracks was even tapping his finger on the wheel while humming along to the classical music he had playing on the radio.

Tracks chuckled to himself. Raoul had been watching him from the corner of his eyes since the moment he got in the car. His amazing taste must have struck again to chose a holoform so striking the boy couldn't keep his eyes off. "I know I'm always gorgeous Raoul but usually you're not drooling unless you're looking at my alt mode."

Raoul jumped at getting caught (and really, he should have seen that coming considering he was sitting  _inside Tracks)_ and directed his eyes firmly back to the road. He crossed his arms and slunk into the seat in a pout. "That's not it!"

"Oh? Then what is it?" Tracks flipped his turn signal on and took the left as directed by his inner navigation computer. The convention center should be coming up on the left in a few blocks. "Because I'm fairly certain you were staring."

"Is it my fault I find a person driving you creepier than the car driving itself?" Raoul huffed. "I mean, it's weird seeing how realistic you look. I figured you'd just sit there and not move but you're like, emulating a human!"

"I believe that was the point of the holomatter, Raoul. To look natural." Tracks snickered and reached up to take his sunglasses off and slipped them into his shirt pocket. It was fun acting out the part of a human instead of just rearrange the holoform. "Would it make you feel better if I admitted I was mimicking you?"

"Huh?"

"Those few times I caved and let you drive manually? Remember all the begging and pleading you did?" Tracks turned his head to look at the boy grateful to have more than one set of eyes. "I remembered your motions from those horrifying events and I've been copying. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be quite sure what to do to make it look real."

Raoul stared ignoring the insults that dripped from Tracks mouth so naturally. The 'bot really needed to do something about that narcissism. However, there was a correction to be made if Tracks was driving like Raoul. "I don't tap the steering wheel with my finger."

Tracks smiled sweetly. "Oh, but you do."

"No, I'm pretty sure I'd know if I did that."

"And since the wheel is a piece of me and I can feel everything that touches me be it exterior or interior, I'm sure I'd remember the annoying tap, tap, tap of your finger to the music." Tracks saw the sign for the Chevrolet Convention and pulled into the parking lot. "So don't tell me what you do and don't do in the driver's seat."

"Whatever, man." Raoul looked out the window at the cars filling the parking lot and people milling about outside waiting to get their tickets to the show. It was pointless to argue with Tracks when he was taking that 'I'm right, you're wrong, worship me' tone of voice. "Where are you planning on parking?"

"As close to the front as possible." Tracks browsed for a suitable spot away from anything damaging. "The cars are inside the convention center, correct?"

"Yeah, I get ya.' Closer to the center the less you gotta' work for the Holomatter thing, right?"

"Correct." Tracks huffed when he realized the closest he was going to get was still a few good yards from the front of the building. Ah well, he couldn't have everything and the laugh this morning in Raoul's apartment was worth the delay. After all, knowing Raoul had a poster of him over his bed was the best blackmail on the planet. Tracks pulled into a spot and unclipped his safety belt. "I suppose this will do."

"Don't know about you, but a little walking won't hurt me." Raoul popped open Tracks' door and put his feet on the pavement. He saw the drivers' side door open and Tracks gracefully stepped out and closed it. Raoul looked at Tracks expectant look and the car and wondered if they were both looking at him right now. Raoul quickly decided he didn't want to linger on the odd alien habits of his friend. "Ready?"

"Always." Tracks nodded and walked up next to Raoul who was already heading to the convention. "Though, I'm not completely sure why you're so excited about the show. You've already go the best looking Corvette in the city driving you around."

"I don't know about that. There should be a lot of custom models in there." Raoul grinned getting slightly more used to the human disguise walking next to him the farther they got away from Tracks' physical body. The less he thought about it, the more natural it seemed and as they say 'out of sight, out of mind.' "Someone might just show up your little flame paint job."

Tracks scoffed and crossed his arms before dropping them again and readjusting the sweater around his shoulders. The mere nerve to suggest such a thing! "Let's just enjoy the show, shall we Raoul?"

"I know I will." Raoul rubbed his hands together. He'd been looking forward to oogling these pretty babies since he heard about the show. The Corvettes was just the hook to get Tracks to come, but Raoul was looking forward to all the custom models from Mustangs to Hot Rods. "I just hope the owners' let me under the hood."

Tracks waited for Raoul to open the door not wanting to waste the energy going solid and trailed behind smiling sightly at the boy's enthusiasm. Raoul truly loved cars and it seemed he wasn't alone. The room was full of humans bustling about this way and that with name tags and pamphlets and conversations galore. At eye level with the rest of them, Tracks had to admit it was a bit intimidating. "There are so many people here."

"What can I say? Humans love their cars, man." Raoul pointed towards the registration booth when Tracks started to wander towards one of the dealers' rooms. "We need to get our passes before we can start looking around."

"Oh, alright." Tracks tilted his head as they found themselves in the nearest lines. Humans always loved to make things complicated, didn't they? "Though I'm not quite sure how I'll wear the badge not having a body. I suppose you'll just have to hold mine."

"Might as well." Raoul rolled his eyes and paid. He could tell it was going to be a fun day already.

Much to the boy's surprise, however, Tracks had been surprisingly good company for most of the afternoon. Well, if Raoul chose to the comments that ended with 'not as good as me' that came out of Tracks' mouth  _every_  time they passed a corvette. But otherwise he joked and Raoul chuckled and the boy was able to ignore all the passing glances he got for hanging out with someone so well, camp as Tracks.

Though, it was most fun looking at the custom paint jobs for the cars. Tracks had little interest in what was under the hood of the cars having a more impressive engine than the rest of them (Raoul would give Tracks that at least) so they mostly ended up appreciating the exteriors of the cars over the engines. Tracks' comments about the artwork being gaudy or too bright or could have done worse (Raoul soon realized that was as close to a compliment as Tracks' got) were even starting to be entertaining after a while. Especially when the owners of the cars got offended.

Raoul took a bite out of a hot dog he had grabbed from a cart for lunch as they came up on the last room of the convention. Tracks appeared to be distracted by a car with flowers that looked to have come straight off the mystery machine covering its hood. "So, get any ideas for your own paint job, buddy?"

"Hardly, Raoul." Tracks held his nose up. "Not a single one of these vehicles even comes close to the class and grace that my alt mode has. The only thing that has made forcing my optic sensors to take them in worth while has been the delightful company." Tracks winked at Raoul.

"Don't ever do that again." Raoul shivered before shoving the last of the hot dog into his mouth. Tracks, the jerk that he was, laughed.

"You're so easy." The stylish corvette smirked as they rounded the corner into the next room. Tracks browsed the cars thoughtfully realizing it was yet another room with custom decor and would have kept walking if he hadn't felt an arm go through his holoform. "Raoul?"

"Check that one out." Raoul was staring at a yellow corvette snuck in the middle of two flashier paint jobs. It wouldn't have stood out all on its own, but there was a rather familiar symbol on the hood. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It definitely looks like one." Tracks muttered as he and Raoul headed towards the vehicle. As they got closer Tracks grabbed Raoul's sleeve and held him back a foot from the car. Raoul could pick up the slight electrical field coming off the vehicle and knew right away this wasn't just some human being creative by copying an insignia for his car. "Keep your distance."

A Decepticon logo plain as day was plastered on the hood.

Tracks strode up confidently to the car and looked it over, making sure Raoul was still in his place. The boy was standing hands in his pockets but now his eyes were watching the crowd and the exits. Good lad. Tracks took a lap around the car and stopped in front of the hood. Browsing around and seeing no human claiming the corvette, he assumed it safe to address the car personally and confirm what he had already discovered. "Forgive me, but I don't believe we've met."

The car's frame twitched lightly and Tracks squat down on his heels right up next to the grill. He kept his voice low. "My designation is Autobot Tracks and you've got about five seconds to convince me not to tear in here and rip out your transmission, Decepticon." A full out shutter now and the car inched back an inch. Clearly someone inexperienced in battle ore more likely, had heard of Tracks' reputation. "No response?"

"I ain't doin' nothing."

Tracks' lifted an eyebrow at the whispered voice and Raoul trotted up closer to hear. "Excuse me?"

"I'm just here for the show!" The voice urged and shifted on its wheels. "I won...I won a race and and Barricade said I should show off." It stalled. "I mean, ain't that why you're here?"

"To show off? I'm always up for that." Tracks held his head in his hand mimicking a pose he'd seen on TV to show curiosity. "But I don't remember hearing about any Decepticons in races."

"I had a driver..." The car trailed off. "He's eating lunch."

Raoul snorted and slapped his forehead. "A decepticon's made friends with a human? Now I've heard everything!"

"Hey!" The car revved its engine and a few people turned to stare. It quieted immediately and Raoul started to wave people away shouting something about what a great sound. "We're not friends. He drives, we keep the money. How can he lose with a cybertronian behind the wheel?"

"I still don't see how that fuels the Decepticon cause." Tracks muttered. Sure, it was supposedly a form of cheating, but hardly anything that would get Megatron more energy or closer to conquering the world. "I mean, you'll forgive me if I doubt your sincerity."

"Look buddy. Race Track Patrol's gotta race and so we race the only way we can on this dirt ball 'cause street racers just don't play like they used to!. I won a fair race and Barricade says winners' gotta be recognized and I get a ribbon later if I pretend to be normal."

"Race Track Patrol?" Raoul questioned and looked towards Tracks. "Who'er they?"

"Don't ask me, Raoul. I've never heard of them." He shrugged.

"Hey! We were famous street racers back on Cybertron!" The car bristled. "We were unstoppable."

Tracks paused as he thought back. That name did sound familiar and he suddenly frowned. He couldn't have been one of  _them._ "You mean those ruffians that drove everyone else off the road and created crashes that would give Runamuck and Runabout something to worry about?"

"Yeah! Designation's Motorhead and I was one of the best!" The car crooned forgetting for a moment there was a powerful Autobot so close.

"Hey Tracks, ain't those five seconds up?" Raoul asked lightly as the car began to brag about running other vehicles off the road. "This guy doesn't exactly sound all that nice."

"My reason was good!" The Corvette now revealed to be Motorhead snarled. "I'm not hurtin' anyone and it's my day off!"

Tracks stood up and brushed his pants despite not a single piece of dirt clinging to the holomatter. "I suppose for now I can let this slide as long as you keep yourself out of trouble." Tracks glared down at the car and rested his hand on his hip. "But one tire out of line and you'll find out that I'm as dangerous as I am attractive."

Raoul was positive the car had snorted out a laugh but had to run to catch up to the now briskly walking Stingray. "Hey Tracks!" The boy dashed after to catch up leaving the Decepticon sitting innocently in its spot behind him. "We really just gonna' leave that 'con there?"

"Might as well." Tracks sighed and wished he hadn't noticed the other Cybertronian in the lot. "He's no more dangerous than a human driver."

Raoul looked back at the car sitting there looking so normal with all the others. For the first time, Raoul remembered just how easily these guys could blend in and strike unnoticed if you weren't already aware. Heck, even Raoul had been fooled until Tracks opened his trap. "But he's a decepticon."

"He's also a member of the Race Track Patrol." Tracks smiled and pushed Raoul forward towards the cars in the back. There was a rather stylish car in black that maybe could benefit from Tracks' advice to bring it up to perfection. "They're a unit that got stuck somewhere on the sidelines and didn't participate in a single battle on Cybertron be it from a lack of action or distracting themselves with other things like street racing."

"I thought," Raoul started and had to stop when Tracks pushed him towards a Mustang on the back wall that had red flames against an ebony paint job. He huffed and finished his sentence to get the blue corvette back on track (ha ha). "That you'd never heard of them?"

"I looked them up in the Teletran I database after he gave out his designation. According to records we lifted from the cons' computers he's more obsessed with getting Barricade's approval than causing trouble." Tracks smiled. "So don't worry, and I don't plan on leaving the Convention until he does so don't worry."

"Ah." Raoul nodded and had to trust the Autobot had things under control. "Long as you're sure."

"Besides," Tracks shrugged before wrapping an arm around Raoul's shoulder. "It's my day off, too."


	6. Bedroom

"Wow." Raoul whistled as he stepped off Tracks' hand onto a large desk. He spun around once taking in the orange walls, and two large flat bunks hanging off the wall. Compared to a human, the room was pretty big, but for a guy Tracks size—not so much. "And here I thought my place was tiny. They really fit two of you in here?"

"Three," Tracks said, a long sigh following. He walked past Raoul and sat on the edge of the nearest bunk. He pointed up, and Raoul saw the third bed hung above. "Wheeljack's latest blew up a wing of the Arc. So we're all suffering."

"Rough," Raoul said. He tapped over to the edge of the table and sat facing his car. "Where's the roomies?"

"Patrol," Tracks said. "Prowl has at least enough sense to keep us rotating so we're not all crammed in here at once."

"So we've got the place to ourselves, is what you're saying?" Raoul winked. "You and me could cause some trouble."

"Or you could polish me," Tracks held up a rag and jar, "and I'll finally have an even coating on the back of my wings."

Raoul fell back laughing, and covered his eyes with his hand. He listened to Tracks chuckle alongside, and just—listened. It was such a great sound. Raoul rolled on his side, holding his head up with his hand. "I had to like the pretty one."


	7. Interfacing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felt like writing Tracks and Raoul, and my “Joyride” one-shot collection wanted another update. Whoot.

"I can not believe how long you were staring, Raoul," Tracks said, carrying the human away from the scene of the incident. He had the tiny human clutched to his chest, face shoved into Track’s chest-plate like a Carrier shielding her sparkling from a flasher. Tracks was lucky he arrived when he did, or surely his little human friend would have ended up broken. "It was absolutely indecent."

Raoul pushed at the large blue hands, completely unaware of how close he was to being beaten to a pulp for interrupting. “Let up, dude! I can’t breathe!”

"Sorry," Tracks said, opening his hand a bit, eyes still narrowed. "But really. What on earth were you thinking? You have more tact than that."

"I was trying to figure out what they were doing!" Raoul said, face red. The human pushed at Tracks’ hands until they formed a cup for him to sit in. Tracks cycled air through his vents and hoped he made it to his room without further incident. Raoul pouted childishly the while. "How was I supposed to know they were going to freak out when they saw me in the doorway? It’s not my fault they left it open!"

"Things get forgotten in the heat of the moment," Tracks said, sticking his nose in the air. He himself would never let such a thing happen, but what could you expect from common folk? As bad as it was for Raoul to have watched, they were equally at fault for leaving the door open. Manners. No one on this ship had any! "I’m sure humans can relate. Polite behavior dictates you turn around and leave, not stare and gawk like some Decepticon ogling lewd photographs."

"Lewd photographs? Tracks, I don’t even know what I saw!" Raoul crossed his arms, and shifted so his legs were crossed. "So are you going to tell me what I walked in on or what?"

"Considering how opposed you were to giving me a car wash, I’d think you’d have figured it out by now." Tracks nodded at Bumblebee and Spike as he walked by, and after a second thought, sent a message over the com warning Bumblebee about the recreation room and its current occupants. The last thing they needed was for Spike to walk in on them, too. "Honestly."

"What does Hound and Mirage plugging a ton of wires into each other and weird blue lights have to do with giving you a rub down?" Raoul asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, Mirage and Hound’s paint were scratched, so I guess they could have been touching each—"

Raoul’s voice stopped dead and his eyes widened. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”

"Figure it out, did you?"

Raoul pulled his legs up, shrinking into a tiny ball in Tracks’ hand. “So you guys can, and they were, and I was staring?”

"Very lewdly, I might note yet again." Tracks hummed, clicking in the code to his room. "And considering how reserved Mirage is, and often Hound is out and about, this is probably the first moment they’ve had to do anything in months. No wonder they’re furious."

"Who cares if they’re furious! I was watching Robots have sex for like fifteen minutes and didn’t realize it!" Raoul cried. "That’s all sorts of messed up."

"I agree."

"You are not helping," Raoul said, as Tracks dumped him on the desk and closed his door. Thankfully, his roommates were out. Raoul climbed up on a loose piece of armor, and sat on it. "Who does that sort of thing in the rec room where anyone can walk in?"

Tracks shrugged, shaking his wings out. Immediate danger of Mirage ripping Raoul’s arms off gone, he felt he could relax. “It’s hardly the first time. While Bumblebee has done a remarkable job of protecting Spike and Carly’s ‘innocence,’ Sparkplug has walked in on someone at least twice. But he’s had the sense to turn around and walk away like anyone else.”

Raoul shifted, and looked up at the ceiling. Tracks felt the question coming from a mile away when the boy turned his head. Raoul always got straight to the point. “So, are Mirage and Hound dating, or friends with benefits, or married, or what?”

"Closer to the first two suggestions," Tracks said. He rubbed Raoul’s head with a finger, and smiled when it was swatted away. "Permanent relationships of that nature, marriage as you’d put it, aren’t that common with Cybertronians. Though at the same time, interfacing—sex, that is—between friends isn’t that uncommon."

"Gotcha," Raoul said. 

The human sat quietly as Tracks decided to make use of this private time to get a polish in. Raoul wasn’t a common visitor to the Autobot Base, distance and all, and Tracks didn’t have enough supplies to keep a stash in New York. Raoul was the only one who could get polish in between the joints on his back, so he was hardly going to waste this opportunity! However, as he set the case down on the table, he noticed that Raoul’s eyes were glued on him. The contemplative and fixed stare, could only mean one thing:

"Oh, just ask, Raoul," Tracks said, rolling his optics. "It’s written all over your headband that you want to."

Tracks prepared himself for the likely long and embarrassing “Interfacing 101” talk when the inevitable question of how and what was involved, was asked. What hot-blooded human boy wouldn’t want to know the details? Raoul had been watching those two long enough, so he must be interested.

"You got any interfacing partners on the ship?" Raoul asked, blunt and uncouth.

"Do I have what?" Tracks said, mouth agape. The mech fidgeted with the lid of his polishing case. "Why is that important?"

"I don’t know, I guess I feel bad not noticing you guys have relationships and stuff," Raoul shrunk down, his back hunched. He fiddled with the edge of his jacket. "I only see one or two of you at a time, so it makes a little sense I wouldn’t know this stuff, but you’re my best friend. How come I’ve never asked? I mean, I barely know anything about your home life, or who your Autobot buddies are, or now—If you’re dating somebody. That’s a pretty big chunk of your life I’ve been ignoring."

"Raoul," Tracks said. He spun the cap off the polish, and pulled up a chair to the desk. "I haven’t exactly been forthcoming about it, so I wouldn’t blame yourself too much."

"Still sucks, man." Raoul turned on his make-shift chair until his feet rested on the rim of Tracks’ jar of polish. He kicked the edge. "So, let’s start working on fixing that and answering my earlier question: Do you have someone you do that stuff with?"

"That’s a little private, don’t you think?" Tracks scoffed. He pushed Raoul over off his seat. "Besides, didn’t you say that stuff was creepy when I asked you for a car wash?"

Raoul grunted, climbing to his feet. He jumped up and hung off the side of the polish jar by his elbows. “No, asking me to get you off is creepy. I ain’t asking for a play by play, man. I just want some names, or else I’m going to go crazy trying to guess.”

Tracks pushed Raoul off his jar and closed the lid back on. There was no way he was getting a polish now. Raoul, the sneak, made himself comfortable on the lid and crossed his legs under him. He smiled and held out a hand.

"Come on, it’s guy talk. I tell you about my dates," Raoul grinned.

Tracks dropped his wings and shook his head. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

"Come on, I’ve been traumatized by Hound and Mirage. Gimme something to get my mind off it!" Raoul clapped his hands together. "Spill!"

"If you must know," Tracks drawled, "I’m currently not seeing anyone, nor have I been with anyone since we landed on Earth. Are you satisfied?"

Raoul hopped off the jar and shoved his hands in his pockets. He walked up to Tracks’ arm, and tapped the blue metal with the tip of his boot. “Why’s that? Nobody here up your alley?”

"More like I’m not up theirs," Tracks said, quietly. "I’m not the most…liked mech on the ship, Raoul."

"What? No way," Raoul said, eyes narrowing. "I mean, you’re a little stuck up and stuff, and there’s that whole vanity thing, but you’re a great guy."

"Your flattery leaves me breathless."

"You don’t breathe," Raoul said. He rested his head and elbow on the crook of Tracks’ arm, and settled down there. Tracks could feel the blood pumping in the boy’s veins, steady and warming. Raoul frowned. "But really man, how could somebody not be crazy about you?"

"I ask myself that daily," Tracks said. He pressed an arm to his chest, and held his head  up high. "After all, I’m an exquisite specimen."

"Knock it off, man." Raoul said, raising an eyebrow. "For real, though, you’ve got friends here at least, right? I don’t need to knock some heads together, do I?"

"Yes, Raoul, I have friends of my own species." Tracks chuckled. "Not as many as some, but I do keep company other than yourself."

"And none of them caught your fancy?" Raoul hummed. He knocked Tracks’ armor with his knuckles. "I can see you getting picky easier than them."

"I asked Blaster once," Tracks said, softly and hesitantly. Without disturbing his human companion, he dragged over his polishing cloth. He played with the fabric between his fingers. "I think he might have been interested."

"Didn’t work out, I take it?" Raoul prompted.

"His cassettes were not too fond of the idea of our relationship moving up a level," Tracks said. He wrung the cloth between two fists that formed of their own volition.  "Rewind had a mile long list of why it wouldn’t work out, cross-referenced, Eject thinks I’m a snob, Steeljaw is terrified I’ll have him polished, and Ramhorn’s objections are best left unsaid in polite company. I was out numbered four to one by minicons that live in his chest, so Blaster decided it best we stay platonic friends."

"Ouch," Raoul said. He snorted heavily, and pushed up his headband to scratch the hair underneath. "Those cassettes sound like brats. Is that a thing? Because I’ve noticed that about Soundwave’s hoard of annoyances."

Tracks laughed, covering his mouth. “Perhaps.”

"No one else?"

Tracks’ laughter died down and he hummed. “Not that it matters, but after an unpleasant attempt with Sunstreaker, and being flat out rejected by three or four others, I suppose I just stopped trying.”

"Yeah well, from what I can tell, it’s their loss, man."  Raoul rubbed Tracks arm softly with his palm and sighed. "You’re going to find somebody perfect, and they’re going to be as jealous of that guy as their are of your looks. Just you wait."

"We’ll see," Tracks said. Raoul grinned at him, the smile small but just for Tracks. For now, this was more than enough. Tracks rubbed Raoul’s head, ruffling his hair all of of place, drawing out laughter from the both of them. "But it’s going to be hard to top wishing they look as good as I do."

"You vain aft," Raoul laughed, smacking Tracks’ side. He pushed away and kicked Tracks with the back of his heel. "I take it back! Who’d want to put up with you!"

"I don’t know, the little human who’s going to give me a polish, maybe?" Tracks grinned, waving the rag back and forth.

"You bet I put up with you," Raoul said, snatching the over sized cloth. He kicked the side of the polish container and waited for Tracks to open it. "Aft."

"Much obliged," Tracks said.

It wasn’t interfacing, but who was Tracks to complain?


	8. Mud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tracks is an aft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I updated Joyride. So here’s a little Tracks and Raoul bickering.

"You’re an aft."

"And you need an new insult, Raoul," Tracks replied. He rubbed his polishing cloth over a stubborn spot on his armor plating in a small circle. Scrunched in the small space, Tracks still had to lean over, even sitting upright. Raoul was sprawled over his thigh like a spoiled cat, and whined just as loudly. Tracks hummed, "You’ve been repeating the same one for an hour now."

"It’s been true for the past hour," Raoul said. He rolled from his back to his stomach, and scraped the ground with his finger tips. He drew a little circle, and shivered from his soaked clothes. "You are an aft."

"You’re acting like this is my fault," Tracks said, shifting his leg, and slipping Raoul off the side. The boy hit the ground face first, splashing up the wet muck on his jacket. "And stop sitting on me. I’m not a chair, and if I have to sit in the mud, so do you."

"A-F-T. Aft," Raoul repeated, wiping the mud off the side of his cheek. He threw the glop of it against Track’s leg, and frowned. "And this is your fault."

"And how do you figure that? Do enlighten me," Tracks said, using a finger and the clean edge of his cloth to get the rest of the mud off Raoul’s face. "I’d love to hear what that steel trap in your head has come up with."

"You-you," Raoul said, waving his finger in the air. He frowned, scowled, and rolled his eyes. "Fine, it’s not your fault."

"See?" Tracks smiled. "I told you."

"But that does not change the fact, that you sir, are an aft," Raoul said, plopping down in the mud, leaning against the inside of Track’s thigh. He rested his chin on the back of two of his hands, elbows on his knees and sighed. "How long’d you say it was going to take them to dig us out?

"The nearest Autobot to the mudslide was twenty miles away, and assuming that they’re able to pick up and leave immediately, it’s twenty minutes to get here," Tracks said. He scooted a bit, and a few clumps of dirt tumbled past his back wing. Tracks froze immediately and waited, making sure nothing else was going to make it past him. He continued, "And then add in the time to get actual help to clear the mud away, and it could be anywhere from an hour to three."

"It’s been two and a half, " Raoul said, dropping his hands and leaning his head back. His muddy pony-tail bunched up on Track’s armor to match the scrunch of his nose. "And I haven’t even heard the start of digging yet."

"Just be patient," Tracks said. He could feel the dirt holding heavy on his back, seeping into the cracks and openings of his armor. He didn’t know how Hound could adore this oppressive earth. "They know we’re here."

"Then what’s taking so long?" Raoul said, shifting his foot in the mud. He bit the edge of his lip, and his fingers twitched. Tracks could feel his body vibrating against his leg, cold or nervous. It was so hard to tell with humans. "They know you hate dirt."

"Why don’t you take a nap or something?" Tracks suggested, twisting the polishing rag in his fingers. It’s white color was slowly being overtaken by the black and brown soil, becoming less and less useful as Tracks fiddled with it. "Might make the time go faster."

"I’m not going to sleep in the mud, Tracks," Raoul said, through gritted teeth. He glared up, and his breath picked up. "Wouldn’t leave you alone like that."

Tracks vented heavily, gritting his own teeth when he felt the mud shift beneath him. Raoul flinched as a clump of it passed his knee. Tracks bopped the boy on the head with a finger. “You’re right. We’re in it together right now, so we should keep it that way, hm?”

"You better believe it," Raoul said.

Tracks rubbed his hair with the same finger, and Raoul huffed—but he did relax a fraction. Tracks moved the finger down and rubbed his shoulder. “We’re going to be okay, Raoul.”

"I know that," he whispered, slumping down into the mud more. He curled into Track’s thigh, and leaned the side of his head against the metal. Tracks couldn’t see it, but the sensors in his plating picked up on the tiny smirk. "You don’t have to be an aft about it."

Tracks dropped the polishing rag ontop of Raoul, covering the boy. He squirmed under the fabric and Tracks shuttered off his optics.

If it kept Raoul from being scared, he’d be an aft all night.


End file.
